You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.  Exodus 20:7

I have often wondered how Jesus’ name is on the lips of everyone, from saints to sinners, from the faithful to atheists. Even from the same person the blessed name of Jesus comes out at times in praise and blessing, and at other times in anger and a curse. How does one explain the power this name has over the human race?

It is well known that in the ancient times names were considered inseparable from one’s identity, as much a part of a person as a hand or a leg. In fact, sometimes persons have more than one name, one of which they keep secret, for fear that their enemy might find it out and bring a curse upon that person through magic. This is hard for us to imagine today because, for many of us, names are mere proper nouns, random verbal sounds chosen for auditory effect. In other words, we tend to choose names for how they sound, with little thought that they might have any connection at all with our child’s actual character or person-hood.

The only way to explain this second commandment of not taking God’s name “in vain,” is to understand names in their ancient context. The name “YHWH” (pronounced Yahweh) can be understood to be something like God’s secret name that He revealed to His people in the intimacy of covenant. By giving Israel this personal name, He was giving something of His very self to them. God was making Himself vulnerable, for by revealing the name, He was placing it in the power of His people. They could choose to keep it most holy, using it only in worship and praise, or they could profane it by using it in false testimony or in curses or for magical purposes. The prophets were forever accusing Israel of profaning the name that God revealed to them out of love.

We have seen that the first commandment was a highly relational idea in ancient Israel. All of life is lived “before the face” of YHWH, and the making of idols so as to manipulate the gods by magic is contrary to the covenantal ideal of relationship. Likewise, the name of God, that special name YHWH, has everything to do with relationship. What a precious name is YHWH! For Christians, the Spirit convinces us that the YHWH, the “Lord” of the Old Testament, is Jesus in the New Testament (I Cor. 12:3). The very name of Jesus is in fact an extension of the Incarnate God! What power is in this name! Consider all that has been accomplished by invoking the name of Jesus (John 14:13)! One cannot remain neutral with it. We either love it, keep it holy, and glorify it in worship, or we profane it.

In fact, by “swearing” with the name Jesus or God, however casual it may be, we are actually involving ourselves in an occult act, for this is, however crude or thoughtless, invoking God’s name in a curse. What is “God Damn” if it is not a curse formula? A curse is only as strong as the name that is invoked. This is why humans intuitively use the name Jesus for good or ill; it is proof of His divinity! It is a very great sin to bring down curses by invoking the name of God.

If we are honest, we know how close our heart is at any given time, given the right provocation, to misusing the divine names. It comes up from the deep dark depths within. This commandment forces us to face this dark fact about our human hearts, and take stock of how deep and true our relationship is with the Lord. To guard the divine name is to guard our very hearts.   

As we step back and view the whole of Scripture, we see just how fundamental the “name” motif is.  It begins in the garden when God names Adam, and Adam names the animals and then his wife Eve, and their children.  To name someone or something is to show authority, or even ownership of that person or thing.  Even children name their stuffed animals!  We have seen the dark side of the name motif in Genesis six where demons and women cohabitate creating a hybrid race, men of “name/fame.”  Humanity rebelled at Babel, saying, “let us make a name for ourselves.”  In contrast, God promises to make Abraham’s name great.  He gives Jacob a new name, “Israel,” that best describes his dignity after wrestling with God.  But even more, He reveals His own sacred name YHWH to His chosen people so that they can have a mutual relationship of love and trust.  This motif will develop even further as we go deeper into Scripture. 

Takeaway: God/YHWH/Jesus takes His name very seriously and so must we.

Questions: 1) How would you describe your experience with the sacred names of God, whether it be the general word for deity “God,” YHWH, Jesus, or messianic title “Christ”?  2) How and in what ways do you tend to use them? 3) Have you ever experienced the power of the name of Jesus? How?